oven spring - question for the sourdough sages
As there seems to be more than a little Zen to soudough baking, I though sourdough sages was a more appropriate term than sourdough experts. Anyhow, here is my question, or rather more of an observation. Whenever I cook a loaf where the levening is with sourdough culture alone, the rise is always less, both during the fermentation and proofing stage, although I always get much better oven spring compared with yeasted loaves. I appreciate that fermentation takes much longer with the starter than with dried yeast, and perhaps I get a little impatient and limit the proof to 1 hour when two may be better. But the substantial oven spring suggest the dough has been proofed enough. Is the greater oven spring due to more substantial gluten development with sourdough in general? normally I do not kneed but develop gluten through and autolyze followed by multiple stretch and folds.